With all of the provisions of healthcare reform legislation going into effect, you no doubt have plenty of questions you need answered so you can understand the new law and make sure you’re in compliance. One great resource for up to date information on HR issues, and answers to your most pressing questions is the Department of Labor’s Employee Benefits Security Administration website. With regular updates, they can help you stay on top of the latest changes.

With Healthcare Reform in flux, it's a confusing time for employers and healthcare brokers. However, one thing that's not confusing is the future of COBRA administration. Regardless of the Healthcare Reform outcome, COBRA compliance will continue to be a requirement. To help you separate fact from fiction, we've tackled three common COBRA administration myths below:

Test your COBRA compliance knowledge: Are you required to offer COBRA for your vision plan? What about life insurance? Get the low-down on COBRA Compliance requirements here.

In March of 2012, the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) published revised audit guidelines for COBRA compliance. The revised COBRA guidelines are intended to encompass laws enacted over the last decade that overlap with COBRA administration such as the Family and Medical Leave Act (FMLA) and the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA).

Instant messaging, also known as IM, has become prevalent at work, and is fast becoming a management and HR issue. In fact, a report issued by Radicati.com, states that in 2011 there were nearly 2.6 billion IM accounts worldwide and that number is expected to grow to over 3.8 billion by the end of 2015.  According to Radicati, that’s a growth rate of 11% per year. IM isn’t necessarily bad or disruptive for businesses IF it’s used correctly and for the right purposes. 

It’s the day no business owner or HR professional wants to think about … the day the company closes its doors forever. As you can imagine, this situation is fraught with complicated operational details … one of which could be COBRA.

On March 6, Forbes posted an article suggesting that employees across the nation are making up to 30% less than they should be, by not taking full advantage of the employee benefit plans available to them.